Tabs and notches on self erecting box



Dec. 6, 1960 F. A. GASTRIGHT 2,963,212

TABS AND NOTCHES Ion SELF ERECTING BOX Filed Nov. 17. 1958 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Fran/z 6. fiaafr 'yki ATTORNEY Dec. 6, 1960 v F.A. GASTRIGHT 2,963,212 I was AND NOTCHES on SELF ERECTING BOX 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 17. 1958 INVENTOR 219/22 air A 5 Fun 1% A GaATTORNEY United States atent O TABS AND NOTCHES ON SELF ERECTING BOXFrank A. Gastright, 4014 Rosslyn Drive, Cincinnati 9, Ohio Filed Nov.17, 1958, Ser. No. 774,478

Claims. (Cl. 229-41) This invention relates to paper boxes withself-locking bottom closure flaps, the boxes being normally stored incollapsed condition in a vending machine magazine, and thenautomatically erected, filled with a fluent commodity, and dispensed.More particularly, the invention is concerned with structure on the boxwhich requires it to be properly stored in a magazine, and which enablesthe collapsed blank to be fed and erected. This application is acontinuation-in-part of my co-pending application Serial No. 598,095,filed July 16, 1956, for Self- Erecting Box With Tabs and Recesses forEngagement by Feeding and Erecting Mechanism, now Patent No. 2,877,943.

In order to understand the full significance of the invention, a briefreference is made to the pertinent features of the erecting, filling anddispensing machine in which the box is particularly adapted to be used,and for which a co-pending patent application entitled Popcorn Packagingand Delivering Machine was filed. July 16, 1956. In such a machine, arow of the subject boxes are stored in a magazine and urged against afeeder blade which dams up the end of the row. When a collapsed box isto be utilized, the feeder blade sweeps across the row end, wipes offthe end box, moves it, while still in flat collapsed condition, to aform. Upon reaching the form, the feeder blade shoves the box so as topress a leading vertical corner fold of the collapsed box into aninterior angled corner of the form. The shoving action of the feederblade is suificient to partially open the box into the form, andthereafter a pusher takes over and presses the trailing corner fold ofthe box toward the form so as to complete the opening. Meanwhile, thefeeder blade sweeps back across the end of the row of collapsed boxes inthe magazine to a position of readiness for wiping off the nextsucceeding collapsed box from the row end.

The primary object of the invention is to provide for a temporary butfirm inter-engagement between the collapsed box and a box feeder. Tothis end, it is intended to provide a collapsible box with short tabswhich, when the box is flattened, project beyond a corner fold of thebox. When the box is collapsed fiat, the tabs project beyond the cornerfold, which at that time is as yet not bent, and which then liesintermediate the leading and trailing edges of the collapsed box, sothat the tabs overlie parts of an adjacent side wall of the box. Theends of the tabs engage in a substantially V-shaped gap formed on theleading edge of a feeder blade so that when the collapsed box is wipedoh? the end of its row, the blade tenaciously engages the tab. As thefeeder blade shoves the collapsed box into the form, the tabs alsoconstitute projections against which the blade fingers shove. It isintended to provide a further interlock between the feeder blade andcollapsed box by providing notches in the side wall of the box beneathand adjacent the tabs. Thus, the leading edge of the feeder blade slidesonto the upper siu'faces of the tabs, and then down-turned prongs p2,93,212 Patented Dec. 6, 1960 2 on the feeder blade fit into thenotches. Thus, the tabs are gripped between the prongs and theunder-surfaces of the leading edge of the feeder blade.

The second objective of the invention is to facilitate the disengagementof the feeder blade from the box, after the feeding and shoving actionof the feeder blade has been completed. According to this invention,projecting tabs and underlying notches are arranged on a collapsible boxso that, when the box is fed in fiat collapsed condition, the feederblade will grip the tabs in the gap between the leading edge of theblade and the down-turned prongs. However, as the box opens, the tabsswing away from the formerly underlying panel of the box, therebyfreeing the feeder blade so that the latter may retract from the tabswithout dragging the box back with it. I

These and other objects will be apparent from the followingspecification and drawings, in which: 7

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the blank from which the subject box is formed;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the box in collapsed condition; r

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section along the line 3- 3 of Fig. 2showing the collapsed box, and further illustrating the starting actionof a pronged feeder blade;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the erected box;

Fig.5 is a front elevation of the endmost' one of a row of collapsedboxes supported in a magazine, and further illustrating the engagingaction of the feeding blade; and, I

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic cross-section showing the action of the boxtabs when the box has been shoved by the feeder blade into a form andpartly opened.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals denotesimilar elements, the box 2, shown collapsed in Fig. 2 and erected inFig. 4, is formed from a blank 4 shown in Fig. 1. Box 2 has verticalfront and rear wall panels 6 and 8, side wall panels 10 and 12, and abottom B. A glue flap 14 is contiguous with wall panel 6, andinterlocking bottom flaps 16, 18, 20 and 22 are provided. The bottomflaps are bent upwardly along bottom fold line 23, the blank is thenbent along corner fold lines 24, 26, 28, 30 and 32, and the glue flap 14is secured under the region adjacent edge 32 to form a rectangular box.At the bottom, flaps 16 and 18 are creased along fold lines 17 and 19,and flap portions 16a, 18a, are secured beneath adjacent flaps 22, 20respectively. The disclosed arrangement of the bottom flaps is but oneof many Well known to those skilled in the art, and various others maybe used in conjunction with the novel features detailed below, thesignificant feature of the box being that it collapses flat, as shown inFigs. 2 and 3, and when corners 26 and 30 are moved towards one another,the box sides assume a tubular configuration, and the bottom flapsinterlock to hold the assembly thusly erected, as shown in Fig. 4.

The invention is concerned with the features which adapt a box of thedescribed class for handling by auto matic feeding and erectingmachinery, i.e., tabs 38 and notches N.

The boxes are adapted to be stored in collapsed condition in a magazine,a portion of which is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 5, wherein itshould be understood that box 2 is the endrnost one of a row ofcollapsed boxes supported on a tray 42 and confined on one side by a lip44. All the boxes are oriented so that sides 6 and 10 face towards therow end, with tabs 38 pointing downwardly, this orientation, which isnecessary for utilization of tabs 38 and notches N, being assured by theprovision of the cut-outs 34 which fit against a correspondingly shapedshoulder 46 on tray 42.

and to the left of the Fig. structure. feeder blade 50 wipes the endmostcollapsed box from Suitable mechanism, not shown, is provided forforcing the stack of collapsed boxes towards the near end of tray 42 sothat the endmost one is pressed against a feeder blade 50, which has aportion normally disposed across the end of the collapsed box rowsomewhat below the position shown in Fig. 5. Feeder blade 50 issupported by a pivot at a point off to the left of Fig. 5, and swingsabout an are A in the direction of the curved arrow to an erectingstation (Fig. 6) disposed upwardly In so swinging,

the row in the magazine, transports it to the erecting station form 52,lodges the leading corner 30 of the collapsed box in an interior corner54 of form 52, and gives the box a suflicient further shove into theform so as to partially open it, as shown in Fig. 6. A pusher 56 thenmoves behind the trailing box corner 26 and pushes that corner towardsform 52 until the box is completely erected in the form. As pusher 56comes into operation blade 50 returns to its dwell position somewhatbelow that of Fig. 5 until another cycle starts.

As will be apparent from Fig. 3, tabs 38 are substantially coplanar withside wall 10, from which they extend so as to overlie an adjacent partof side wall 6 when the box is collapsed. In the region of tabs 28, sidewall 6 is formed with notches N. Blade 50 is formed with down-turnedprongs P. Thus, when blade 50 moves from its dwell position of Fig. 3towards tabs 38, the leading edge of the feeder blade, which is beveledon its under side in the regions which engage tabs 38, slides over thetabs until prongs P, which slide along panel 6, drop into notches N, asshown in Fig. 5. The effect of tabs 38 and notches N, when the box iscollapsed flat, is to permit the tab edges to jam into the channel,termed herein as gap T G between the lower beveled surfaces of theleading edge of the blade and the upper beveled surfaces of prongs P.

I As seen in elevation, there is no actual gap, because the leading edgeof the feeder blade is cut-away in the region overlying prongs P.However, the tabs 38 are stiff enough to bridge the cut-away portion ofthe feeder blade, sothat the effect is the same as if an actual gapexisted. The wedging engagement of the blade onto tabs 38 issufliciently tight that the box will not dislodge during the feedingstroke of blade 50, even though the feeder blade swings rapidly in anarc from the point at which it wipes the endmost box from the end of thestack in the magazine to the erecting station. The interfitting of theprongs P into notches N very accurately positions the box on the blade.

As will be apparent from Fig. 6, the extension of tabs 38 beyond theline of corner fold 24 results in the sidewise swinging of the tabs whenfeeder blade 50 shoves leading edge 30 of the theretofore collapsed boxagainst an abutment, i.e., the interior corner 54 of form 52. Thus, tabs38 free themselves from their wedging engagement in gap G when thefeeder blade is ready to reverse its direction of swing to start itsreturn stroke, as indicated by the double-ended arrow of Fig. 6. Thus,there is no tendency of the feeder blade to drag the feed box back onthe return stroke of the blade. Notches N also prevent tabs 38 frombeing tightly glued down against panel 6 in event excess glue issqueezed out from over the glue flap during the manufacture of the box.

The invention is not limited to the precise form and details of thestructure illustrated and described, but is 4 intended to cover allsubstitutions, equivalents and modifications within the scope of thefollowing claims.

I claim: M

1. In a collapsible cardboard box for use in a machine having boxerecting means including a feeder blade having prong means thereon, saidbox including an adjacent pair of first and second contiguoussubstantially stiff flat panels which lie substantially parallel and areconnected by an unfolded fold line in the collapsed condition of thebox, tab means on the edge of the first panel which lies adjacent thefold line, said tab means extending beyond the fold line and freelyoverlying a portion of the second panel in the collapsed condition ofthe box for engagement of the feeder blade therebeneath, said tab meansbeing substantially stiff and co-planar with the first panel at alltimes, said second panelhaving open notch means underlying the tab meansfor receiving the prong means on the feeder blade.

2. A box as defined in claim 1, said open notch means being longer thansaid tab means as measured along the second panel in the direction awayfrom the fold line, whereby said prong means can enter said open notchmeans prior to engagement of the prong means beneath the tab means.

3. In a collapsible cardboard box for use in a machine having boxerecting means including a feeder blade with prong means thereon, saidbox including an adjacent pair of first and second contiguoussubstantially stifi fiat panels, a glue flap on the second panel adheredto and underlapping the first panel, a fold line on the second panel atthe base of the glue flap, said panels lying substantially 'parallel andsaid fold line being unfolded in the collapsed condition of the box, tabmeans on the edge of the first panel which lies adjacent the fold line,said tab means extending beyond the fold line and freely overlying aportion of the second panel in the collapsed condition of the box forreceiving the feeder blade, said second panel having open notch meansunderlying the tab means for receiving the prong means on the feederblade, said open having box erecting means including a feeder bladehaving a spaced pair of prongs, said box including an adjacent pair offirst and second substantially stiff flat panels which lie substantiallyparallel and are connected by an unfolded fold line in the collapsedcondition of the box, a spaced pair of tabs on the edge of the firstpanel which lies adjacent the fold line, said tabs extending beyond thefold line and freely overlying a portion of the second panel in thecollapsed condition of the box for receiving the feeder blade, said tabsbeing substantially stiff and coplanar with the first panel at alltimes, said second panel having an open notch underlying each of thetabs 'for receiving the prongs on the feeder blade.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,163,615 Cooley Dec. 7, 1915 2,676,750 Gastright Apr. 27, 19542,686,629 Inman Aug. 17, 1954 2,772,044 Layne Nov. 27, 1956

